Communication Skills Seminar in JB (29-31/10/12)

English language practitioners, educators and parents can pick up practical and simple activities that will increase student involvement at the three-day Johor English Language Seminar on Writing and Speaking in Johor Baru from Oct 29 to Oct 31.

Jointly organised by JB English Language Teaching (JELTA) and Johor State Education department, the seminar provides ELT practitioners with an avenue for sharing their knowledge and ideas on writing and speaking.

M Suites Hotel is sponsoring the venue, meals for participants and accommodation for speakers as part of its social responsibility commitment to education.

The seminar will focus on diverse issues within ELT and English as a Second Language, such as creative and innovative methodology, curricular and material design innovations, as well as critical thinking and creativity in English language teaching and learning.

Other topics that will be covered during the seminar -- to be officiated by New Straits Times (NST) managing editor Datuk Nuraina Samad -- include developing vocabulary and structural accuracy.

Former NST Johor bureau-chief Ravi Nambiar will show participants how to write a press release that is "useful, accurate and interesting", whereas NST rewrite executive A. Kathirasen, a journalist of 37 years, will give pointers on Writing Effective Letters to the Editor.

Lucille Dass, a former Universiti Sains Malaysia lecturer, will present a paper on Whither the Voice of English. This plenary paper illustrates how teachers can create purposeful and enjoyable speaking activities that allow students to "discover their lost voice in English".

Trainer Irfan Rahman, who has 20 years of experience teaching English all over the world, will deliver a workshop on Speak Your Mind, in which he shares tips for encouraging students to speak in the classroom and solving any problems that may occur in teaching non-native learners to speak.

Education Ministry's Teaching English Language and Literacy mentor and teacher trainer Maureen Parker, meanwhile, will introduce Jazz Chants, a popular method for helping students with pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary and grammar.

Parker will also demonstrate some successful ways to make the language classroom more student-centred and engaging.

Registration fee is RM130 for government school teachers and RM200 for other participants.